1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder for securely storing and transporting a compact disc, computer floppy disc and the like, for permitting the rapid insertion and removal of the disc, and for fully displaying substantially the entire face of the disc label when the disc is retained in the holder.
2. Background Information
Devices for retaining a compact disc or a computer floppy disc have traditionally been constructed at least partially of plastic, or to include paperboard sleeves which obscure all or a significant portion of the disc label. These conventional compact disc holders have the drawback of not being capable of being manufactured substantially entirely by a machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,463 to Collins, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a compact disc holder made of cardboard in which there is a rear panel and side retention sections, such that the compact disc is held on the rear panel by the side retention sections. The retention sections, however, are relatively complex, and must be provided with either splines and/or more than three layers of material in order for the retention sections to extend higher than the compact disc. In such case, portions of the retention sections which extend higher than the compact disc extend inwardly over the face of the compact disc to hold down the compact disc on the rear panel. In addition, this holder requires a lid that covers the front surface of the compact disc. Due to this arrangement, the holder is complex and has a relatively high cost because of the amount of material that must be used and the complexity of manufacturing the same.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,216 to Collins, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a compact disc holder made of cardboard in which there is a rear panel and retention sections, such that the compact disc is held on the rear panel by the side retention sections. The retention sections include corner sections that have arcuate edges which engage the compact disc to prevent sliding thereof. The corner sections, however, are made of a single layer of material and have heights less than the height of a compact disc, as clearly shown in FIG. 3 thereof. In order to prevent escape of the compact disc, retainment tabs must be provided, so as to hold down the compact disc on the rear panel. This, of course, increases the complexity of the holder, while also increasing the cost of the holder due to the extra material that must be used and the complexity of manufacturing the same.
In a mass mailing that is conventionally performed, for example, by internet service providers such as America Online and Compuserve, it is desirable to provide a compact disc to a consumer which includes packaging having a greatly reduced cost, while protecting the disc from the harsh treatment during handling by the postal service. The above holders, because of their complexity and cost, become inefficient for this purpose.